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1877 National League season
The 1877 National League season was the first season for the National League following the breakaway of the eight foundation clubs from the United League. It was notable for a number of "firsts", such as the first league season consisting entirely of fully-professional clubs, the first season where clubs played a balanced, home-and-away schedule, and the first season where clubs were not allowed to "self-forfeit" games under penalty of expulsion from the league (although umpires retained the right to declare a forfeit due to gross malfeasance on the part of a team or its fans). Before the season After the 1876 United League season, representatives from five strong fully-professional sides met at the Excelsior Hotel in Chicago to decide the fate of the league. Following the Philadelphia Athletic Club's controversial 1875 championship, which came as the result of forfeit victories in three of its final four games (while the Chicago Federals had to play professional opponents, splitting the matches and losing the pennant by a single game), professional sides were livid at what they saw were weak regulations that did not deter clubs from playing out their season obligations. Although the league promised action, teams like Chicago and the Cincinnati Ruby Legs did not see the changes (such as raising the fine for a forfeit from $10 to $25 and placing teams "under review" of their league status for too many forfeits) to be strong enough to effect real change. The clubs felt that only Chicago's strong start to the season (they had effectively wrapped up the title by August 1) prevented a repeat of the 1875 fiasco, and it was inevitable that another "Philadelphia Catastrophe" would occur. William Hopkins, the president of the Federal Club, convened the meeting, inviting representatives from the Boston Blue Stockings, the Atlantic Club of Brooklyn, the Cincinnati Ruby Legs, and the St Louis White Stockings. The attendees were not by chance - each club had either had discussions with Hopkins following the 1875 season about the Federals' bad luck, or had expressed sympathy and solidarity with the Chicago club. By the end of the meeting, the five men had agreed to form a new, fully-professional league for the following season, with the following regulations: * Only fully professional clubs would be allowed to join; no amateur clubs or clubs with a mixture of amateurs and professionals (semi-pro). These clubs were considered to not be a strong, and more likely to stop playing at the end of the season once they had been eliminated from contention. * Along those lines, clubs agreed to be compelled to play each regularly schedule game, and not forfeit any matches (except for extenuating circumstances that had been previously approved by the league president). The penalty for unauthorized forfeits would be expulsion from the league. * The size of the league would be eight teams. There would be a "balanced" schedule, with each team hosting the other seven teams six times, for a total of an 84-game season. Games would be played on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with double-headers in case of rain. Monday through Wednesday was reserved for travel. No games would be played on Sundays. * Admission was set at 25 cents, with visiting clubs guaranteed half of the gate receipts, with a minimum guarantee of $75. After this was decided, there was the matter of which others clubs to invite. Hopkins was dead set against inviting the Athletics, viewing them as having "stolen" the 1875 pennant that he viewed as rightly his, but the other clubs held firm, recognizing that Philadelphia was not only a victim of circumstances and good fortune, but also one of the strongest professional sides. An invitation to join the National League was extended, but it came from St. Louis president Frederick Hauser instead of Hopkins. Brooklyn had favored inviting the Excelsior Club of Manhattan, viewing them as a natural rival that would draw well. However, the three midwestern clubs, seeing a league already with Boston, Brooklyn and now Philadelphia, were wary of adding another eastern club, and blocked the move. Meanwhile, Cincinnati and St. Louis were keen to add the Louisville Dark Blues, as they were centrally located between the two cities. Chicago also considered them to be acceptable, and so the Kentucky side became the seventh NL team. Finally, in a nod to the eastern clubs, Hauser proposed inviting the Buffalo Green Caps, who weren't the strongest United League side, but had already announced plans to pay all of its players in 1877. It would prove to be a fateful decision in a couple of years' time. Final standings Notable events League leaders